Self Help Hipster Joins The Vegan Challenge 2014.

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PLOT TWIST.

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THE IDEA It came to me during a Bikram class (yes that’s still happening.) Eating vegan for a week, just for fun. Seeing if I could do it and how I would like it.

In my opinion,  the vegan movement is actually the solution to quite a few of our planet’s problems. Eating vegan saves the lives of animals and mankind. If you do it right, it can also be very healthy. And delicious. Plus, Mamrie Hart is vegan and can you say, (highly inappropriate) rolemodel?

However. I’m a pragmatic person. I see the impracticalities, as well as the inconveniences. Also, I like being able to eat whatever, wherever, without having to ask for alterations or chummily chewing on a hummus-dipped carrot I brought to the party myself.

I want to have wiggle room to do whatever, in my jeans, my life and in my diet. That’s why I ditched the vegetarian diet a while back: I like not having a label on my food choices, except for ‘Enjoy’ and ‘You’re Going To Regret This Later.’

I like to eat meat sometimes. I really enjoy the spareribs I eat every once in a while and the bacon Will makes for me on Sunday morning. I make my banana bread with REAL butter and I love everything with blue cheese.

So I’m pretty sure I’m not going to be a ‘real’ vegan. But I am a conscious eater, and every little bit helps, and I can definitely do it for a while. See what happens.

So I went with the idea. Friday night, after stocking up on handy supplies* I made a vegan risotto that Will didn’t complain about and basically breezed through my weekend on vegan breakfast muffins, soy lattes and broccoli soup with avocado sandwiches.

This changed my mind from doing it a week to doing it the whole month. Why?

Okay, and also:

  • I’m bored.
  • I want to do something good for the world for a while.
  • I like vegan food most of the time anyway, it’s just a matter of paying extra attention for a month.
  • Substituting my usual animal products is turning out to be pretty easy.**

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In day-to-day living at home and at work, I think I can manage. However, I have a few Cheat Days planned because of previous arrangements:

  • A work lunch with people I don’t know. I am not going to be that person who just orders a salad.
  • Dinner with a coworker. She is a vegetarian, so I’m sure we can find something pretty suitable. If not I’m not going to have a cow*** about it.
  • My own birthday. I have a million family members coming over and I am not in the mood to explain. I’m enduring enough ex-vegetarian jokes as it is anyway.

So there. I’m eating vegan this month. I’m doing the Vegan Challenge 2014. You can find more information about this challenge on the website.

Go nuts in the comments with your opinions.

BYE!

*Almond and soy milk, an absurd amount of vegetables (even more so than usual), tempeh, smoked tofu, tofu, silk tofu and a fuckton of bananas. This isn’t my first rodeo, kids. 

 *Soy milk in my coffee, soy yogurt instead of normal yogurt for breakfast, tempeh or tofu instead of meat or eggs, and just skipping the cheese in my salad and adding more veggies, nuts and herbs. It’s hardly revolutionary. 

***HA-HA. 

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6 comments

  1. Ik ben benieuwd hoe je veganistische maand zal gaan! veganistisch of vegetarisch eten is inderdaad beter voor de planeet. Ik ben zelf een paar jaar geleden minder vlees gaan eten. Dat voelde op een gegeven moment zo natuurlijk dat ik nu bijna geen vlees meer eet (wel vis). Alleen als ik uit eten ga, eet ik graag vlees. Veganistisch eten lijkt me wel moeilijker, vooral de (Franse) kaas links laten liggen zou voor mij een uitdaging zijn 😉
    Goed initiatief in ieder geval!

  2. Ik ben zelf een vegetariër. Het veganistisch eten heb ik laten zitten omdat ik het toch fijn vind om melk en eieren te kunnen gebruiken en dit ook in erg veel gerechten verwerkt zit. Dus een dapper initiatief. De cheatdays zijn denk ik heel praktisch en ook verstandig.

  3. Leuk, ben benieuwd hoe het je gaat bevallen! Ik ben onlangs van hardcore vegan naar vegetarisch eten geswitcht maar ik mis the vegan life dus ik doe ook weer mee met de Vegan Challenge. En waarschijnlijk blijf ik daarna lekker vegan eten want ik voel me zowel fysiek als mentaal veel lekkerder als ik 100% plantaardig eet 🙂 Het is alleen zoveel gedoe altijd

  4. I love this challenge! I’ve been vegan for 3 years so it’s no longer a challenge to me but I still remember how confusing, exciting and delicious everything was in my baby-vegan phase. Have fun with your month of vegan eating! I’m looking forward to updates and your thought on this project.

  5. Sooooooo I will eat ALL THE CHEESE by myself but make you vegan indonesian food / Healthy dishes in Exchange for some reiki? Good luck with your Challenge and vegan cupcakes are always good to share 😉